


Without You

by valeriexxm



Category: Bob’s Burgers
Genre: Age Up, Angst, F/M, Happy Ending, High School, LGBT, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 14:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14751047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valeriexxm/pseuds/valeriexxm
Summary: Tina and Jimmy Jr. have dated on/off for five years, but at the end of their senior year Tina does the unthinkable. She dumps him.Heartbroken, Jimmy must learn how much Tina meant to him and with the help of her family- how to get her back.





	1. Chapter 1

Jimmy Pesto dropped the Junior from his name two weeks after entering high school. Tina Belcher objected profusely, but he felt he was old enough to finally go by Jimmy and not worry about his dad.  
His first years at Huxley High School are perfect. He was popular, a huge hit with the girls and worked his way up to captain of the competitive dance team. Jimmy had a lot of big moments in his high school years, and there was one person there for every single one. Tina.  
Tina was Jimmy’s girlfriend, sometimes. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her; he definitely did. But he had a lot to experience and there were SO MANY girls at Huxley. He didn’t mean to hurt Tina, but every time he broke up with her he felt her drift farther away. He wished he would realized how he felt before it was too late.


	2. Jimmy

Senior year, three weeks before prom, Tina knocked on the door of the Pesto’s house. Jimmy’s younger brother Andy answered, quickly followed by his identical twin Ollie.   
“Hi Tina!” They said in unison.   
Jimmy heard her answer from their living room. He quickly rushed down the stairs and pushed them out of the way.   
“Hey Tina.” Jimmy said. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him, muffling his brothers’ protests.   
Tina tucked her hair behind her ear. She had been growing it out the past year, and it was past her shoulders. Jimmy smiled. “I like your hair like that.”  
Tina smiled back, but avoided his eyes. Before he could decipher her reaction, something caught his eye across the street. Tina’s brother Gene and her sister Louise had their noses pressed against the glass of their family’s burger restaurant. Tina’s mom wiped the same spot on the counter while she stared as well.   
Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Tina.   
“Why is your family watching us?”  
“Oh! Uh...” Tina jumped and turned around. She waved for them to move, but no one did. “They, uh...”  
Jimmy grabbed her hand and began walking toward Wonder Wharf. Tina held on, but it wasn’t her usual circulation-cutting hold.   
As they reached the wharf, Tina remained silent. Jimmy stole glances and tried to start a conversation, but she was uninterested. He couldn’t understand why she was being so aloof. They had been dating again for a month and it was going great. Just before she knocked he was getting ideas for how to ask her to prom.   
They explored Wonder Wharf like they usually did, reminiscing about the rides they enjoyed as kids and the rigged games they spent all their allowance on. As time passed Jimmy tightened his grip on Tina’s hand. He couldn’t help but feel like tomorrow he wouldn’t be able to.   
Tina recommended the Ferris Wheel and Jimmy bought their tickets. They sat close together and in silence. As the ride neared the top, Tina laid her head on Jimmy’s shoulder and sighed. His heart beat quickened and he stared out at the moon over the ocean.   
“Jimmy?” Tina whispered.   
He leaned his head on top of hers.   
“Jimmy, I’ve loved you since I was thirteen years old,” Tina began.   
He closed his eyes and felt her words stab him in the chest.   
“But... you don’t feel the same way.”  
He tried to protest but she cut him off.   
“No you don’t. You think you do, but if you cared about me we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”   
He stared again at the bright moon.   
“I can’t do this anymore.”  
The rough waves reflected the yellow light.   
“I have to think about my future, and my heart. And I just don’t see you in either of them.”  
The Ferris wheel reached the loading zone and the carnie opened their door. Jimmy walked out, leaving Tina behind him.   
She rushed to meet his stride.   
“Jimmy Junior please, I’m sorry.”  
He stopped and she brushed past him, not expecting his immediate halt.   
Her eyes were wet, but he didn’t care.   
He clenched his fists and retraced the steps to the Huxley Dancer’s State-winning routine in his head. He found that dancing always calmed his nerves and made him feel better.   
Tina knew this, and waited for his mental dance to end. When he opened his eyes, she was wiping her glasses on her shirt. Her eyes were dry now. Shows how much she cared. She didn’t even actually cry.   
Jimmy’s shoulders squared and he looked down at his girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend. Again.   
“I really am sorry, Jimmy.” Tina whispered.   
His anger melted and left nothing but hurt. How could he be mad at her? He had done this a dozen times. He would dump her for something else, usually something stupid and temporary. But she had never dumped him before. He took her for granted, but he never knew until now. He brushed her hair behind her ear. She flinched at his touch.   
“I’m okay. Come on, it’s getting late.”  
They walked back to Tina’s house in silence, the tension pushing them a foot apart. When they reached her door she stopped and looked at Jimmy.   
“I wish it could have worked. I really do. But I have to think about me for once.”  
Jimmy looked at his shoes- dirty red high-tops he’s had for years; then at Tina’s- spotless black and white Converse she cleaned nightly. He guessed that was a pretty good metaphor for their personalities. He was a spot on her shiny shoes, and the night was coming with an impending shoe shine.   
Jimmy shifted. “I know Tina. But I need you to know that I do love you.”   
She jerked her head backwards. He never said it before. Five years since they first kissed and he never told her he loved her. Better tell her now before he couldn’t anymore.   
She didn’t respond. Instead, she fumbled for her keys and entered her house, closing the door and leaving Jimmy staring at the spot where she used to be.


	3. Tina

Tina locked the door behind her and leaned against it. She ran her hands through her hair and adjusted her glasses. She ascended the stairs into the gaze of her awaiting family.   
He parents sat on their old couch, her mother sipping a glass of wine and her father with the TV remote in his hand. Gene texted on his phone from the lazy chair and Louise, not bothering to look distracted, sat criss-cross on the floor and stared at her big sister. She was fourteen and just began experimenting with makeup. She had black eyeliner under her eyes and long, thick eyelashes. Tina thought she looked good, but their mother highly opposed. It was bad enough with Tina heading off the college soon. Lets just say, Linda Belcher was not handling the aging of her children very well. Gene grunted a hello and continued texting. He had recently bleached a streak of his hair much to the chagrin of his parents. Well, their father didn’t have much of an opinion. As long as they stayed out of trouble and were home in time to help at the restaurant, Bob Belcher didn’t care what his children wore. He had begun to gray in his hair and his mustache, which worried him more than anything Gene did to his own hair.   
As Tina approached her family her mother cleared her throat, clearly waiting for Tina to relay her story.   
Tina sat on the floor next to her sister.   
“I did it.”  
Louise barked a laugh. “You did?!” She laughed again. “I didn’t think you would actually do it! Gene you owe me five bucks.”  
Gene grunted and handed his younger sister a five dollar bill. He put his phone in his pocket and motioned for Tina to elaborate.   
“We went to the wharf and rode the Ferris wheel and when it got to the top I told him and he got really mad at first and did that dancing thing in his head but I said I was really sorry and he just looked really sad then when we got home he said he loved me.”  
Bob shuffled in his seat. “That’s uh, that’s the first time he said that right?”  
Tina burst into tears. “Yes! Why would he say that now after I broke up with him?”   
She blew her nose loudly and Gene flinched.  
“Who cares?” He said. “He only said that because you dumped him. You deserve better Tin.”  
The rest of the family agreed.   
“Yeah who cares about Jimmy Junior?” Louise piped up. “He’s dumb anyway.”  
Tina sniffled and wiped her eyes.   
“I’m gonna go to bed. I don’t know what to think.” She said, and left for her bedroom.   
She lied on her bed and picked at the lint on her comforter. An occasional tear fell on the fabric and she rubbed it away. Her door opened and her mother walked in and sat on the edge of Tina’s bed.   
“Hi baby, how you doin’?”   
Tina looked at her mother and told her the truth.   
“I went over to Jimmy’s house so sure of what I was doing. But every second I was with him I became less sure. When I saw him so upset with me I almost changed my mind. Then he went and said he loved me. I didn’t even answer him, I just ran inside and slammed the door in his face.”  
Linda let out a small laugh.   
“Oh! I’m sorry,” she kept laughing. Tina smiled. Leave it to her mother to find humor in everything.   
“You really shut the door on him?”  
Tina laughed and nodded.   
Linda chuckled and pulled her into a side hug. She stroked her hair.   
“It’s going to be hard for a while, but it’s for the best. You always come first, before any boy.” Tina nodded in the crook of her mothers neck. She smelled like wine and perfume, a scent Tina had come to love.   
“That’s my teeny Tina. I love you.”  
Tina pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I love you too Mom.”


	4. Jimmy

Jimmy climbed the stairs to his living room slower than he ever had before. His father and brothers were watching some sports game on the television.   
“Where’ve you been, Junior?” His father asked.   
Jimmy grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat next to his dad.   
“Tina dumped me.”  
Andy and Ollie gasped. Jimmy Senior turned down the volume on the TV and patted his son’s knee. “I’m sorry son. I didn’t even know you were back together.”  
Jimmy sighed. He wasn’t surprised by his dad’s words. He didn’t pay much attention to anything.   
The twins crawled onto Jimmy’s lap and hugged him tight. They were both way too big and way too heavy. Just as his breath ran out he pushed them off of him. They tumbled to the ground and sat at his feet. Jimmy’s dad turned up the game.   
Jimmy Junior stroked his brothers’ hair and the four of them watched together.   
When his father went to bed and the twins turned off their bedroom light, Jimmy changed the channel to a late night talk show.   
The host was monologuing about celebrities which Jimmy usually enjoyed. But his head was a million miles away. Or more accurately, above the burger place across the street.   
Tina Belcher. Jimmy had known her since they were in kindergarten. He didn’t really notice her though until they were about twelve. They walked to school together, with their siblings. Sometimes he forgot her name, but he always liked how she stared at him. Then when she turned 13 they kissed at her birthday party, and he never forgot her name again.   
She had a way about her that he couldn’t figure out. He didn’t want to commit to her, but he got extremely jealous when she was with someone else. On their off-times they both dated other people. Jimmy was usually with whatever girl was prettiest, but Tina made real connections. Of course, Jimmy couldn’t stand that. Whenever she started dating someone else, he wanted her back. It was unhealthy of course but he couldn’t help it. And she always came back.   
“Oh my god,” Jimmy thought. “I’m a horrible person. Tina actually cared about me and I strung her along. She was right.”  
He laid down on the couch and quickly fell asleep.   
Jimmy was only out for about 15 minutes when his phone rang. The caller ID read “Zeke” and Jimmy answered.   
“Hey.”  
“What’s up J-Ju?” Zeke’s loud voice rang in Jimmy’s ear.   
“I was asleep when you called. I was watching The Late Show.”  
He and Zeke talked about their favorite skits for a while, then Zeke asked a question.   
“Your prom is coming up right?”  
Jimmy sighed and leaned his head against the wall. When they were sixteen Zeke transferred to a military academy in Virginia. It really changed him; he was smarter, more distinguished, and mature. A drastic change from the weird, smelly kid Jimmy became friends with in middle school.   
“Yeah. Three weeks from today.”  
“Have you asked Tina yet? I always liked that girl.”  
Jimmy closed his eyes. “No. We broke up.”  
Zeke grunted. “Why did you do it this time? She’s a good one J, you can’t keep her around forever.”  
“Yeah,” Jimmy replied. “I learned that yesterday. She dumped me.”  
Zeke was silent for a while. Jimmy could practically hear his brain working.   
“She really did it. Good for her.”  
“Hey!” Jimmy protested.   
Zeke chuckled. “Sorry Jimmy Junior but it’s true. You messed with that girl for too long. She deserved better than you stringing her along.”  
They talked about the crazy things they did in middle school for a while, then he heard Zeke yawning.   
“Okay, night Zeke.”  
“Bye J-Ju. Remember, you love her. And I know she loves you. You just have to be the guy who deserves her.”  
Jimmy crawled into bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	5. Tina

A week passed before Tina was alone with Jimmy again. They were both tasked with going to the copy-room for their third period teacher. Well, Tina was tasked and Jimmy volunteered to help.   
They walked to the office, the papers in Tina’s arms and the key swinging around Jimmy’s index finger.   
“So...” he began.   
Tina stopped in her tracks.   
“Jimmy, why did you come with me?”  
He caught the key in his palm. “I dunno... I guess I was just bored in class.”  
She knit her eyebrows and continued walking.   
He hustled to catch up with her.   
“Why? Do you not want me with you?”  
Tina rolled her eyes.   
“It’s not that, I just didn’t know if you had... other ideas.”  
Jimmy put his hands in his pockets but luckily he stayed silent.   
Tina thought about all the texts he sent her over the week. Mostly questions about homework they didn’t have or ones he already knew the answer to. He was also very active in the group chat they had with their Wagstaff Middle School group.   
The walk to the office took less than three minutes, yet six different girls said hi to Jimmy in the hallway. He winked at every single one. Tina’s eyes were practically sore from rolling them.   
After the last girl rubbed his shoulder for an unnaturally long time Jimmy ran back to Tina’s side.   
“Hey!” He shouted at her. “Why did you leave?”  
“Are you serious?” Tina whisper-yelled outside the office double door. “You act all upset when we break up and tell me you love me but in three minutes SIX girls rub all up on you?”  
Jimmy tried to interject but she didn’t let him.   
“Well only the last one rubbed you but still Jimmy! You flirted with all of them.”  
Jimmy’s face darkened.   
“You broke up with me Tina. You can’t be mad if I talk to other girls.”  
“I’m not mad!” Tina felt her cheeks begin to redden. That only happened when she was mad. “It’s just that you act like you miss me when we’re with other people but now when we’re alone you keep flirting with other girls in front of me.”  
“I do miss you! Every single day. But you dumped me, and I’m not going to sulk around all the time.”  
His waved his hands wildly but luckily kept his voice quiet. “You don’t love me anymore and that’s fine. I’m trying to get over...”  
“I STILL LOVE YOU!”   
Tina’s shout startled Jimmy so much he dropped the office key. She glanced around and saw several student looking over at them. She dashed around a corner and waited for Jimmy to join her.   
Tina stared at her shoes and squeezed the test papers in her arms. “Of course I still love you. I never stopped.” Her eyes started to swell with tears she refused to let fall. “But you and I...”  
Jimmy brushed the hair from behind her glasses and Tina resisted the urge to melt into his hand.   
“Tina, I-”  
“Jimmy I can’t believe you thought I didn’t love you. After everything we’ve been through; after how hard it was for me to...”  
She trailed off and he cupped her chin in his hand. He had done this countless times and it always made her knees weak. She knew he was going to kiss her, and a huge part of her wanted to let him. But she hadn’t worked this hard on herself and the courage to leave him to just get sucked back in with one heart-melting kiss.   
Tina jerked her head out of his hand.   
“Stop it Jimmy! Did you even listen to a thing I said?”  
His hand fell to his side and he stared at her, confused.   
“I love you. But that doesn’t mean we can be together. I have a future to think about. Did you know I got into NYU?”  
Jimmy gasped. “You did?” Then his face twisted into a mix of sadness and anger. “You didn’t even tell me?”   
The tears in Tina’s eyes dangled dangerously close to the brink. “I wanted to so badly. But the letter came on Monday and I wasn’t ready to see you.”  
His face crushed her. Jimmy was one of the people that supported her dream of attending New York University the most. After her mother of course, who supported her the most in literally everything she did.  
The moment she read the letter to her family, Jimmy’s face popped in her head. He would be so proud of her. But she blocked that thought and focused on celebrating with her parents and siblings. And everyone else in the restaurant when she read the letter out loud.   
He grabbed her hand and she nearly dropped Mrs. Perkin’s tests.   
“Tina I’m so happy for you. You deserve it.”   
She didn’t know why, but this made her angry. He had the nerve to be happy for her after she kept the news from him? Or maybe it was because he kept touching her after she pushed him away.   
“Shut up, Jimmy. Just leave me alone.” She shoved the papers into his arms and stomped back toward their classroom. She didn’t turn back, but she heard the key unlock the door and Jimmy enter the office.


	6. Jimmy

After their fight in the hallway, Jimmy avoided Tina Belcher. It was easier than he thought, especially when he surrounded himself with distractions like dance practice or the many pretty girls in his science class. But when he went home, thoughts of her crept into his brain and rooted themselves there. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight, especially when Louise came over his house almost every day. She and his brothers were working on a project for school. And by “working”, he meant they sat on the computer and watched videos of people getting hit in the crotch. One day while he was reading some old book for an essay, Louise sat on the couch beside him. He regarded her dark eye makeup and her ripped jeans with so many holes they were practically shorts. She was a lot different than the tiny girl in the pink bunny hat she was when he met her.   
“Hey Jimmy. I didn’t know you knew how to read.”  
Maybe not that different.   
“Uh, yeah. Well I do.”   
He turned the page and pretended to understand what he was reading.   
“Listen.” She pushed the book down from in front of his face.   
“Tina’s in pretty bad shape. Lots of crying, lots of angry cleaning, and way too much diary-writing.”  
Jimmy closed his book, not bothering to mark the page. “What’s your point?”   
Louise sighed and adjusted her pink knit cap. Some things never change.   
“She misses you a lot. She never wanted to dump you so embarrassingly. Which means you can get her back.”  
Jimmy sat up in his seat. “You really think I can?”  
Louise nodded. “I’ve been discussing it with your brothers. Comparing notes, exchanging crying stories-“   
“I never cried!” Jimmy yelled, his voice slightly higher than usual.   
“Yes you did.” Jimmy Senior chose this moment to walk past the living room and destroy his son’s dignity.   
Jimmy Jr groaned and leaned his head against the wall.   
“Look, Junior.”  
“Don’t call me Junior.”  
“I know you miss my sister. And you-“ Louise made a gagging sound. “Love her.”  
Andy and Ollie both gagged from the kitchen. Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Just get to the point, Louise.”  
“My point is you can get her back if you actually show her how you feel.”  
“I have told her! She isn’t-“  
Louise lightly slapped him across the face.   
“Not tell her! Show her. No more flirting with other girls. No more skipping dates for dance practice. And you have to tell her you love her. A lot.”   
Jimmy reached for his book and opened it to a random page.   
Louise stood and turned toward the kitchen. Before she left, Jimmy grabbed her hand.   
“You really, actually think she’d take me back?”  
Louise squeezed his hand, a rare show of affection that he did not take for granted.   
“That’s up to you, Junior.”


	7. Tina

Tina noticed a drastic change in Jimmy Junior the next two weeks. He was polite, he paid attention to her, and he didn’t flirt with a single girl in front of her.   
Wow, she thought. I have some pretty low standards for chivalry.   
Tina and her friends went shopping for their prom dresses at the mall. They decided to coordinate colors with the other girls in their group. Each of the seven girls were wearing a color of the rainbow. Tina got blue; blue was her favorite. Tammy said she looked best in it.  
They were leaving the mall’s makeup store when Tina smacked right into Jimmy. She rubbed her forehead and glared at him.   
“Ow.” He said.   
She rolled her eyes but a laugh bubbled inside her and escaped.   
Jimmy had the audacity to laugh as well, which only made everybody laugh more.   
As her and her six friends laughed, Jimmy locked eyes with Tina and grinned.   
“So...” Jocelyn began.   
“We’re just gonna...”  
The group of girls backed away slowly.   
Tina tried to stop them, but Meghan Jacobs waved quickly and pushed the group toward the food court, leaving Tina and Jimmy rubbing goose eggs on their foreheads.   
“What are you guys doing here?” He asked.   
Tina didn’t know why, but she hid her dress behind her back.   
“Uh, dress shopping actually.”  
Jimmy’s smile vanished.   
“Oh. Yeah. Prom. ”  
He fiddled with the straw on his smoothie. “Did you find one?”  
She shifted the dress from one arm to the other.   
“Yep.”  
“What color?”  
“Blue.”  
Jimmy smiled. “I knew it.”  
Tina cleared her throat and he looked at her.   
“Jimmy, do you want to get something to eat?”  
Jimmy checked the time on his phone.   
“My brothers need to be picked up in 20 minutes, do you want to come with me? I could drop you off at home after.”  
He held out his arm like a prince awaiting his princess. Tina smacked it out of the way but turned and walked toward the parking lot.  
Jimmy grinned and followed her.   
They drove to the middle school where Andy and Ollie had soccer practice. Jimmy Pesto Sr told his twins they either joined soccer or spent their Saturdays bussing tables at the restaurant. They chose the former.   
Tina was surprised to see her sister waiting outside with her friends. She talked to the twins, Rudy, and a girl Tina had never met before. Louise tugged on one of her pigtails and laughed at everything the girl said. Louise never laughed unless someone was hurt.   
“Do you see that?” Tina asked.   
“Yeah,” Jimmy replied. “I think Louise likes that girl.”  
Tina squinted and noticed Louise’s other hand opening and closing. She flexed her fingers when it was open.   
“Oh yeah. I recognize that hand thing. She’s ready to slap her.”  
Jimmy slowly looked at Tina, but he said nothing. She assumed he thought the explanation was more complicated than her response. He was right.   
Jimmy pulled up next to the group and Louise practically jumped out of her skin. She saw Tina in the passenger seat and flew to the edge of the group, as far away from the girl as possible.   
Andy and Ollie crawled into the backseat. Louise glanced at the girl, who waved goodbye. She quickly waved back and climbed in next to the twins.   
As Jimmy drove towards home, Tina cleared her throat.   
“So Louise... who was that girl?”  
Her sister nearly choked on her water bottle.   
“What? What girl? Who? I don’t know any girls. What do you mean?”  
Jimmy and Tina laughed.   
“Come on Louise,” Jimmy said. “Tina said you were ready to slap her.”  
Louise gasped and stared daggers at her sister. “You take that back.”  
“No. I know what I saw! You like her.”  
Andy and Ollie bit their lips. Jimmy watched them from the rearview mirror.   
“You two know something. Spill it.”  
Andy broke first. “She does like her!”  
“She said her hair smells like a fruit bouquet.” Ollie continued.   
Louise smacked both of them, but they just giggled.   
“Way to go, guys. Real good friends you are.”  
She pulled her hat over her eyes.   
“It’s okay Louise,” Tina said. “It’s not embarrassing to have a crush. Remember Boo Boo?”   
Louise cracked a smile. Tina knew she still had a picture of him in her sock drawer.   
“Anyone hungry?” Jimmy asked.   
“Yes!” The three almost-high-schoolers yelled.   
“I think Dad said the burger of the day had onion rings on it, I know you two love those.” Tina said to the twins.   
They cheered and Jimmy turned down Ocean Avenue, ignoring Louise’s protests.   
The five friends entered Bob’s Burgers. The ringing bell brought her parents out from the back. Gene was sitting in the first booth with headphones on, but he grinned and waved when his sisters walked by. He was surrounded with empty candy wrappers.   
Louise sat in the stool in front of her mother.   
“I guess Gene’s working on a new song.”  
Linda smiled at her son.   
“Yeah! He’s been working on it all day. Won’t let anyone listen to it though. I only know it’s good because the wrappers keep piling up. He hasn’t even pooped yet.”  
The Belcher girls gasped. Whatever Gene was doing, it was good enough to skip pooping. They knew genius was happening.   
“Hey dad.” Tina said.   
“Hi Tina. Hi everyone.” Bob replied.   
“Can we all get burgers? We’re starving.”   
Bob knit his eyebrows, pretending to be annoyed at having to make five burgers. But Tina knew he would have done it even if she didn’t ask. He headed to the back, and asked questions about her day while he cooked. When she mentioned she bought her prom dress, Linda squealed.   
“You got it? Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see!”  
She reached for the bag but Tina held it out of her grasp.   
“No Mom! Not yet.”  
Linda’s eyes flicked at Jimmy. “Oh okay. Later then.”  
They ate their burgers and talked about end-of-school plans. The eight graders were doing their bonfire that weekend. When Linda asked if any of them had a date, Louise suddenly had to use the bathroom. Tina smirked as she ran inside.   
“What was that about?” Linda asked.   
“Louise likes someone,” Tina whispered.   
“What’s that?” Bob asked, coming out of the kitchen. “Louise has a crush on a boy?”  
“Not quite.” Jimmy answered.   
“It’s a girl in her class. I’ve never seen her before.” Tina said.   
Bob’s eyebrows shot up. “A girl? Well I’m just glad it’s someone. I was beginning to think she was going to be in love with that blonde kid forever.”  
“Oh I’m so happy!” Linda yelled, clapping her hands.   
Louise exited the bathroom and saw her mother jumping up and down. She stopped when Louise approached the counter.   
“What was that about, Mother?” She asked.   
“Oh nothing. Just a little girl talk.” She emphasized the word girl with an exaggerated wink toward Tina. Tina put her face in her hands.   
“You told her?” Louise shouted.   
“I’m sorry! I thought she would be more discreet!”   
“Really?” Louise put her hands on her hips. “You thought our mother would be more discreet.”  
Gene pulled his headphones off. “Louise is right. You should have known better.”  
Bob put his hands on his youngest child’s shoulders. “Louise it’s okay. We don’t care that you like a girl. You can like whoever you want.”  
“Like-like” Andy and Ollie piped up.   
“Right.” Bob rolled his eyes. “Like-like.”  
Louise’s cheeks were pinker than her hat and Tina decided it was time to change the subject.  
“Thanks Dad, that was really good. But I have to grab something upstairs. I think I left my bracelet up there.”  
She felt Jimmy sit up in his seat and knew that he understood.  
“Yeah and I should get my brothers home. Thanks Mr. Belcher! See you soon.”  
“Bye Jimmy. Bye Andy and Ollie.”  
The boys waved goodbye and left the restaurant. Bob and Linda didn’t notice when the twins went across the street alone.   
Tina and Jimmy headed up to her bedroom. She was glad they created that secret code. Privacy was hard to find in her family, and Jimmy had the same problem. So a code for sneaking off was the best tool they had.   
They sat on her bed together. She crossed her legs under her while he looked around at the bare walls.   
“You took down all your posters.” He observed.   
“Yeah, I packed some of them and others I threw out.”  
“What about the big horse one?”  
She smiled. “Packed. Of course.”  
He grinned back. “I like that one.”  
She felt him lean toward her and she leaned in as well. But right before their lips met, Tina pulled back.   
“Jimmy I don’t want to get back together.”  
His knit his eyebrows. “Then why did you bring me up here? Why did you ask to hang out?”  
“I...”  
Jimmy stood up and paced her floor. “Tina you can’t do this! You know how I feel about you and you can’t keep stringing me along.”  
She ran her fingers through her hair.   
“I’m not stringing you along, I want to be your friend.”   
Jimmy stopped and spun toward her.   
“I don’t.”  
Tina looked up at him.  
“What?”  
“I don’t want to be your friend. I can’t be your friend.”  
She stood up at her tallest. Her eyes barely reached his chin. She stared into his blue eyes. He looked angrily down at her, but his anger melted quickly.   
She watched his eyes trace her cheeks and her jawline and end on her lips.   
Uh oh, was her only thought.   
“Me neither.” Tina said.   
Before she could think, she kissed him so hard he almost fell over. But he caught her and kissed her back with the same force.  
Jimmy picked her up and laid her on the bed, crawling on top and kissing her neck and collarbone. She arched her back and pressed into him. Tina reached her hand out and shut the bedroom door.


	8. Jimmy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter

As Jimmy styled his hair back into place, someone knocked on the bathroom door.   
“Almost done!” He shouted.   
He opened the door and ran into Gene, who was standing right on the other side.   
“Woah, sorry Gene.” Jimmy said.   
The middle Belcher child was not a child anymore. Gene was sixteen, and already deep into puberty. He started to grow a mustache freshman year and by now it was wispy but definitely there. He was nearly as tall as his father, but had taking up dancing so he was thinner than he used to be.   
Jimmy liked Gene, he was funny and loud and he cared about his friends.   
When he looked up at Jimmy, his blonde bangs fell away from his face and Jimmy saw he was wearing green eyeshadow.   
They scooted around each other until Gene was inside the bathroom and Jimmy was out.   
“I like the green, Gene.”  
Gene smiled. “Green Gene. That could be my stage name.”  
“Yeah. You could wear all green and make your lyrics end with -een.”  
Gene started to rap a song he made up. “Mean green Geney-Gene. His dream was to eat beans with the Queen.”  
They both laughed.   
Gene peeked around Jimmy and saw Tina’s door was closed.   
“Listen, Jimmy. You’re my friend.” Gene put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “I love dancing with you and you’ve taught me a lot. But Tina is my sister and she’s more important to me than any of that.”  
Jimmy nodded and put his hand on his neck, discretely covering a recently acquired hickey.   
“I know you love her. So I’m not going to threaten you or anything. Just treat her how she deserves.”  
Jimmy hugged Gene, who squeezed him back until he could no longer breathe.   
“Okay,” Jimmy wheezed. “Let go.”  
Gene released him and backed into the bathroom. “I’d love to talk but I have an appointment that I can’t push back any longer.”  
Gene pointed at the toilet and Jimmy threw up his hands in a surrender motion. He walked back to Tina’s room and knocked.   
She opened the door a crack and checked if anyone was in the hallway. She opened it wider and Jimmy slipped through.   
He sat on her bed and watched her brush her dark hair in the mirror.   
“I had a talk with Gene in the bathroom just now.”  
Tina turned.   
“In the bathroom?”  
“Well he was in the doorway and I was in the hall.”  
“Oh.” She day next to him on her bed. “What did he say?”  
Jimmy explained their conversation as she twirled his hair in her fingers. He trailed off when she started to kiss his neck.   
“Woah, woah, woah.”  
Jimmy jumped up and Tina pouted.   
“As much as I would love to see where that was going to go-” Tina slyly smiled and looked at the ceiling.   
“I gotta get home. My dad’s probably worried.”  
Tina raised one eyebrow. “Come on, I know you better than that.” She said.   
He sighed. She did.   
“Okay I actually told Zeke we’d talk at ten and then I really have to read this book for my AP Lit essay and I don’t understand any of it-“  
Tina’s shocked expression stopped him.   
“What?”  
She stood up and placed her hands on his cheeks, examining his face.   
“Who are you, and what did you do with James Pesto Jr.?”  
Jimmy grinned and pulled her hands off his face. He held them at his waist and squeezed them.   
“I thought I lost you forever, Tina. And now that I have you back, I’m doing it right.”  
She kissed him and he kissed her back.   
“If you’re going to New York, so am I. I won’t make it next semester but I will be there for spring. And every semester after that.”  
Tina put her hands over her mouth and silently screamed. He saw tears fall from behind her glasses and Jimmy wiped them away.   
“I mean it Teen. I’m in. All the way.”  
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. She was so loud her parents ran in and caught her hanging from Jimmy’s neck.   
They were angry that he had been in her room without them knowing, but after Tina told them the news they couldn’t help but be happy.   
The rest of the Belchers entered and the six of them packed into Tina’s room.   
“Oh by the way,” Jimmy started, getting on one knee.   
Linda gasped and the other Belchers watched as he grabbed Tina’s hands. He couldn’t help but notice she looked petrified but excited.   
“Will you...”  
Louise pulled out her phone and started recording.   
“Go to prom with me?” Jimmy finished.   
Tina sighed and grinned. She tussled his messy-on-purpose hairstyle and helped him stand up.   
“Yes.”   
Tina kissed her boyfriend as her family watched.   
Not his ideal situation, but Jimmy had been accustomed to the strange world the Belcher family lived in.   
With Tina Belcher by his side, Jimmy Jr. knew the world would be a lot more entertaining, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> If people like this I might continue it to their first year of college!


End file.
